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Post subject: Squier Jazz Bass Mods??
Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2011 11:39 pm
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I am wanting to mod my Squier Vintage Jazz Bass and I was wondering some cost-effective mods that I could apply that could improve the basses performance. And HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! :mrgreen:


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Post subject: Re: Squier Jazz Bass Mods??
Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2011 11:56 pm
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I also want to add some good looks to it(of course).


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Post subject: Re: Squier Jazz Bass Mods??
Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 1:54 pm
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Firstly, you may want to ask this question in the Squier forum. Go to the Board Index and scroll down to Squier basses. I'm sure more people there have been where you are now than in the Fender Jazz forum.

That being said, if it is cosmetic upgrades you are looking for, that is up to your personal taste.

SK is right and wise beyond his tender years. The most seldom done but most beneficial mod on any passive bass, especially single coil ones, is thoroughly shielding the pickup cavities, the control cavity, back of the pickguard and maximizing the bridge contact to ground. You will need self adhesive shielding tape for this which is sold by many online parts dealers. You can use copper or aluminum, but the copper is easier and faster to use since you can not solder to aluminum and have to use screws to permanently attach ground wires in all cavities or you can temporarily tape it to the aluminum. If you do a shielding job right you will have a much more hum free bass making some previously noise ridden tone settings entirely usable.

You can finish a shielding job for under $10 in parts, but it takes time and patience to do it right and it also requires some disassembly and soldering, which not everyone has the skill to do or completely comfortable doing. I would never do ANY mod, even shielding to a vintage instrument, but on a MIM or Squier you can feel free to do. I also would do the job myself as labor on a time consuming job like this is a killer. It takes me about 5 to 6 hours to do a good copper shielding job on a Jazz and I've done it numerous times. Not everyone does it right. There is a good tutorial on my website about shielding a bass.

The second least done mod is swapping out the tone capacitor. Tone capacitor replacement is a very personal decision as different type caps have different tonal characteristics. No one cap is ideal for every genre or type of player. The right cap for your need and style can make your instrument sound richer or edgier depending on which direction you want to go in. Sprague brand Poly Orange-Drops are doubtless the most popular tone cap swap, but quite often there is a better choice than Poly Orange-Drops. For some players a Poly Orange-Drop is the perfect choice, but some people who use them would probably be happier with something else. The Poly Orange-Drops are shilled by many aftermarket parts outlets as the "best" tone cap, when in fact they are sort of a middle of the road compromise in warmth and smoothness. Sprague brand Mylar Orange-Drops are warmer and smoother caps for a passive tone circuit that cost about the same thing as a Sprague Poly Orange-Drop but are harder to find. If you are looking for an edgy sound with a lot of grind or bite to it then a ceramic disc is a far better choice and cheaper than a Poly Orange-Drop.

Usually on a MIM bass there are already really good pots in there, in fact the same as USA models. But they are probably 250K and if you want a brighter tone you can put in 500K pots and it will brighten up slightly but don't expect a miracle. On a Squier pot upgrades/swaps can sometimes be tricky as many Squiers use mini-pots and there isn't room in the control cavity for a full sized USA pot, but you can buy mini-pots through some parts dealers. Pots of the same value will make no tonal difference, but again switching values will make a slightly perceptible difference.

Funny but people will spend big money for custom made pickups or a fancy aftermarket bridge for a passive bass but won't spend $15 on parts for a shielding job and cap swap and then these same people complain about how the pickup or fancy bridge upgrade might not have been cost effective. The very first mods I make on any passive bass are shielding and cap replacement. Usually that makes more difference than you'd expect for very little cash outlay.

The modern Squier basses have better pickups than their predecessors and I probably would live with the stock ones.

Lots of people buy Squiers or MIM Fender and think that by replacing or upgrading everything they will have an instrument that sounds exactly like a USA one. $300 in upgrades later they discover this is not an entirely accurate due to the superior tone woods used in the USA instruments. Sure, you can make a Squier sound better or different. Just realize that you will never recover the cost of any upgrades in a sale or trade. It depends on how many dollars you want to throw at it.


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Post subject: Re: Squier Jazz Bass Mods??
Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 2:15 pm
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Wow. Thanks Brother Dave. That was a huge help.


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Post subject: Re: Squier Jazz Bass Mods??
Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 2:46 pm
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I am starting to get parts and was wondering what size capacitor to get for a Squier Vintage Mod Jazz Bass.


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Post subject: Re: Squier Jazz Bass Mods??
Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 7:23 pm
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Well, Im in a band(we just started) and we are modeling off of a greean day blink 182 style of music. I was also wondering if anyone knew if there was a good place to buy colored volume/tone knobs for a jazz just for fun.


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Post subject: Re: Squier Jazz Bass Mods??
Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 7:40 pm
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Ok Thanks. Also do you have any idea of how I should go about installing a pickgaurd onto my bass? It doesnt have one.


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Post subject: Re: Squier Jazz Bass Mods??
Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 7:52 pm
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Sorry don't have any right now........ i'll try to later though but no it doesn't.


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Post subject: Re: Squier Jazz Bass Mods??
Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 10:20 pm
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I'd suggest starting with the stock cap value for a Jazz control setup. 0.05uf or the 0.047 value, which is pretty much the same thing. You can also experiment with other values like 0.033 or 0.068 or 0.022 or even 0.10. A lower value (0.022) will roll off less upper mids, a higher value (0.10) will roll off more upper mids for a bassier sound. Stick to the lower voltage ones as they are smaller and easier to fit. Caps are really cheap, except for the Paper In Oil variety. Ceramic caps are like 50 cents each. Poly caps up to about $3.

Sounds like you are playing harder rock so I'd suggest trying both a Ceramic Disc and a Sprague Poly Orange-Drop to see which you like better. I think you'll like the Ceramic better since it adds more edge to the tone. The Poly would make it more versatile but still have a little edge to it.

You can spray paint your existing knobs any color you like. Stick pencils through a piece of cardboard. Clean knobs with rubbing alcohol to remove finger oils and let dry. Stick the knobs onto the end of the pencils and spray away. Krylon brand adheres well to plastic but you may want to primer coat them first no matter what brand spray paint you use. Apply multiple light coats of glossy paint allowing periods of about an hour between coats. 5 light coats are better than 1 or 2 heavier coats. Paint the position pointer groove flat white (or again any color you like) with 2 coats of model car enamel using a fine modeling type brush using model car enamel. Let the grooves dry and then finish by applying two coats of clearcoat. Let dry a full two days and they are ready to reinstall and the finish should last years.

Can't advise any specific pickguard solution beyond trial and error using stock Squier Jazz Bass guards. This outlet has Squier guards: http://pickguards.us/ Again, someone in the Squier Bass Forum might know specifically what guard will fit.


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Post subject: Re: Squier Jazz Bass Mods??
Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2012 5:36 pm
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brotherdave wrote:
I'd suggest starting with the stock cap value for a Jazz control setup. 0.05uf or the 0.047 value, which is pretty much the same thing. You can also experiment with other values like 0.033 or 0.068 or 0.022 or even 0.10. A lower value (0.022) will roll off less upper mids, a higher value (0.10) will roll off more upper mids for a bassier sound. Stick to the lower voltage ones as they are smaller and easier to fit. Caps are really cheap, except for the Paper In Oil variety. Ceramic caps are like 50 cents each. Poly caps up to about $3.

Sounds like you are playing harder rock so I'd suggest trying both a Ceramic Disc and a Sprague Poly Orange-Drop to see which you like better. I think you'll like the Ceramic better since it adds more edge to the tone. The Poly would make it more versatile but still have a little edge to it.

You can spray paint your existing knobs any color you like. Stick pencils through a piece of cardboard. Clean knobs with rubbing alcohol to remove finger oils and let dry. Stick the knobs onto the end of the pencils and spray away. Krylon brand adheres well to plastic but you may want to primer coat them first no matter what brand spray paint you use. Apply multiple light coats of glossy paint allowing periods of about an hour between coats. 5 light coats are better than 1 or 2 heavier coats. Paint the position pointer groove flat white (or again any color you like) with 2 coats of model car enamel using a fine modeling type brush using model car enamel. Let the grooves dry and then finish by applying two coats of clearcoat. Let dry a full two days and they are ready to reinstall and the finish should last years.

Can't advise any specific pickguard solution beyond trial and error using stock Squier Jazz Bass guards. This outlet has Squier guards: http://pickguards.us/ Again, someone in the Squier Bass Forum might know specifically what guard will fit.
Ok so will that work with metal knobs? I probably should have said that I have metal knobs.....


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Post subject: Re: Squier Jazz Bass Mods??
Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2012 5:58 pm
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It is a Squier Vintage Mod Jazz Bass and the only other info I can see is what I think is the Model #
It is s/n IC070653053


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Post subject: Re: Squier Jazz Bass Mods??
Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2012 11:42 pm
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texasbassplayer wrote:
Ok so will that work with metal knobs? I probably should have said that I have metal knobs.....
Oh dang I forgot. Some of those DO have chromed plastic knobs. Those are the push on variety for split shaft pots. I don't think paint is going to work as well as on black plastic. I think I'd just buy colored push on knobs or buy the push on plastic Jazz Bass ones and leave them black or you can paint them. Not a fan of chrome knobs on a Jazz. They just look wrong.

Push on plastic Jazz IMPORT knobs: http://basspartsresource.com/guitarknobs_jazz.htm

Colored push on knobs: http://www.allparts.com/Q-Parts-s/98.htm


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Post subject: Re: Squier Jazz Bass Mods??
Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 9:32 pm
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No it is not fretless


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